Kadesh-Barnea

ka'-desh-bar'-ne-a (qadhesh barnea`; Kades): Mentioned 10 times; called also "Kadesh" simply. The name perhaps means "the holy place of the desert of wandering." There are references to Kadesh in early history. At En-mishpat ("the same is Kadesh") Chedorlaomer and his allies smote the Amalekite and Amorite. Abraham dwelt near Kadesh, and it was at Beer-lahai-roi between Kadesh and Bered that the Angel of Yahweh appeared to Hagar (Gen 14:7; Gen 16:14; Gen 20:1). It was an important camp of the Israelites during their wanderings, and seems to have been their headquarters for 38 years (Deut 1:2; Deut 2:14; Judith 5:14). There the returning spies found the camp (Num 13:26); there Miriam died and was buried (Num 20:1); from thence messengers were sent to the king of Edom (Num 20:14; Judg 11:16). There the people rebelled because of the want of water, and Moses brought water from the rock (Num 20:2); it was called therefore Meribath--or Meriboth-Kadesh (Num 27:14; Ezek 47:19; Ezek 48:28). It was situated in the wilderness of Zin (Num 20:1; Num 33:36; Num 33:37) in the hill country of the Amorites (Deut 1:19), 11 days' journey from Horeb, by the way of Mt. Seir (Deut 1:2), "in the uttermost" of the border of Edom (Num 20:16), and on the southern border, probably the Southeast corner, of Judah (Ezek 47:19; compare Judith 19). See Cobern, Homiletic Review, April and May, 1914.

S. F. Hunter